Best-bets for May 8: Mother’s Day with “Idol,” “Ninja,” more

1)“American Idol,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. The twice-a-week phase is done now; there are just three rounds left, all on Sundays. Tonight, we have the top seven — Leah Marlene (shown here), Christian Guardino, Fritz Hager, HunterGirl, Jay, Nicolina and Noah Thompson. Next Sunday has the top five; a week later, “Idol” will have its 20th champion. Read more…

1)“American Idol,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. The twice-a-week phase is done now; there are just three rounds left, all on Sundays. Tonight, we have the top seven — Leah Marlene (shown here), Christian Guardino, Fritz Hager, HunterGirl, Jay, Nicolina and Noah Thompson. Next Sunday has the top five; a week later, “Idol” will have its 20th champion.

2) “American Ninja Warrior,” 7-9 p.m., NBC. The new season doesn’t start until June 6, but here’s a special that has women battling an obstacle course. Think of it as a Mother’s Day show … but not the kind that has Mom knitting and crocheting. It’s followed at 9 by the annual special with “Saturday Night Live” assembling past Mother’s Day sketches.

3) “Call the Midwife” season-finale, 8 p.m., PBS. It’s been a grim season, slogging through countless tragedies. This finale is one of the darkest, but it offers a brisk pace, strong emotion and a sense of hope. A train engineer – whose wife is at the clinic, giving birth – blacked out, leading to a crash. Three passengers – Dr. Turner, Sister Julienne and a former patient – are trapped and near death. That’s followed by a fairly bgood “Ridley Road” episode, leading to a strong finish on May 15 and 22.

4) “The Equalizer,” 8 p.m., CBS. A week from the season-finale, we see Robyn in unfamiliar turf. Usually, she’s backed by high-tech data; now, however, a self-proclaimed psychic says he’s had a vision that his sister is in trouble. Also, Robyn’s daughter struggles with PTSD, worrying about her mom’s safety and about the burden of keeping her mom’s secrets.

5) “Ten Percent,” 10 p.m., BBC America. The opener, a good one, ended with a jolt. The founder of this firm – and, seemingly, the only level-headed soul there – died of a heart attack. Now his son and others turn to their fallback position, which is to scheme and stretch the truth. They end up with two clients – Helena Bonham Carter and Olivia Williams, playing themselves – expecting to get the same role. The result has quick British humor, only some of which is lost in the accents.

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